Her Graceful War Song novel Chapter 1009

There was no need for Carissa or Violet to dig into Jessica's situation.

For many years, Luke had been old friends with Giles, the head steward of Ironridge Estate. He met Giles for a meal the following day, and the whole situation became clear.

It turned out that the previous year, the Marquis of Ironridge had taken a new concubine. Her name was Flora Crawford. Her father was a scholar, and she herself was well-read. She was initially engaged, but her fiancé tragically died two years ago in an accident, earning her the reputation of being a "widow-maker." She had been ridiculed ever since.

Somehow, she crossed paths with Leopold, who took a liking to her and made her his concubine.

According to Giles, the reason Leopold had taken Flora in was partly to support the management of the household. Emma had been ill for a long time and had almost died last winter. It wasn't until the weather warmed that she started recovering.

Flora was skilled in managing the household. Since her arrival, she had been assisting Margaret in overseeing the internal affairs of the estate, which the old lady greatly appreciated.

It was clear that Jessica didn't like Flora. She had been subtly tormenting her in both overt and covert ways. Margaret had berated her several times, and with the treason case involving Eleanor, Jessica had cooled down somewhat.

Three months ago, Flora had become pregnant. Due to severe morning sickness, she could hardly eat. The only thing she could stomach were the light dishes her mom used to make. Margaret had once been pregnant herself, and she knew how much a woman could miss her family during such a time. She invited Flora's mom, Barbara, to stay with them.

Knowing that Jessica had been cruel to Flora, Barbara reprimanded her a few times. With no outlet for her anger, Jessica had taken to tormenting Serena instead.

At this point, Luke couldn't help but sigh. "Since Lady Serena entered the Marquis of Ironridge's family, she has been subjected to much of Lady Jessica's torment."

"Enough about the Warren family. I'm not interested in hearing about them. Get to the point—how did Jessica end up being cast out? She didn't do something to harm Flora's baby, did she?" Violet urged.

Luke shook his head. "No, it wasn't the baby she was after. It was Madam Barbara. Lady Flora had been taking pregnancy tonics, and Madam Barbara had developed a cough during her stay there. Madam Margaret had a physician prescribe medicine for Madam Barbara, but somehow, the two medicines got switched on one particular day.

"Lady Flora ended up taking the wrong medicine—the one meant to treat a cough, which Lady Jessica had added a laxative to. She already had a weak constitution, and the medicine caused her to miscarry after just a couple of days.

"When Lady Flora lost the child, Madam Margaret ordered an investigation. It didn't take long before it pointed to Lady Jessica. She admitted to it, claiming she didn't intend to harm Lady Flora's child but only wanted to get back at Madam Barbara since she had shown her disrespect."